Automatic oil-cup



C. E. COX. AUTOMATIC on cuP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29, I92I.

Patented Ime HEEL,

M ww, w

UNITED STATES CLAUDE E. COX, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC OIL-CUP.

Application led January 29, 1921.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLAUDE E. Cox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and 2tat-e of Michigan, have invented certain Anew and useful Improvements in Automatic Oil- Cups7 of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in oil cups, and more particularly to oil cups of the type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,357 ,616 dated November 2, 1920, wherein the oil receptacle has an upright hollow post therein inclosed by a sleeve freely slidable on the' post and normally maintained in elevated position by a spring so that vibration of the structure may cause the spring-sustained sleeve to ride up and down, feeding oil into the open end of the post.

General objects of my present invention are to improve the feeding action of the de vice while maintaining simplicity and economy in construction and to effect a novel and advantageous cordination of the post and sleeve.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a verticalsection of an oil cup constructed in accordance with my invention and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of `Fig. l.

The cylindrical oil cup 10 has in its eX- ternally threaded throat 11 a tapered recess 12 in which is drive fitted the conical base 13 of the upright post 14C whose axial duct 15 forms the oil outlet. The tip of the post, internally beveled to provide the sharp edge portion 16, preferably extends well into the upper portion of the oil chamber 17 so as to stand above any working liquid level of the oil, a medium oil level being indicated by dotted line. Any suitable cover' 18 may be provided in conjunction with the body receptacle, that construction of cover specically shown being not herein claimed,but conveniently providing a movable top plate 19 to expose or cover the lling orifices 20. The sleeve 21 surrounding the stem or post 14 is of length to extend from near the bottom of the latter to above its top, is provided at its top with a flange 22 that also constitutes a weight normally standing above the oil level, and is normally held in raised position by a light spring 23 loosely encircling the sleeve and extending from the bottom of the casing to the under side of the flange 22.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 28, 1921.

Serial No. 441,026.

Save in refinements, the structure thus far described is generically that of my prior patent, but by special construction and coopera-tion of the sleeve and post or stem I increase the available feed-rate and the certainty and regularity of the feed. As in my prior construction, vibration of the oil cup structure results in a limited vertical displacement of the sleeve, causingthat portion of the sleeve which is contiguous to the open mouth of the steml or post to ride up and down past the edge 16 and so causing oil, entrained between the contiguous surfaces of the generally-coaxial sleeve and stern to be fed into the hollow interior or duct 15 of the stem. In the improved construction herein shown, however, I so relatively construct the contiguous surfaces of the sleeve and stem that the forces expressed on the downward movement of the sleeve involve a component tending to cause the top of the stem to disrupt or cut through any oil film on'the sleeve thereby to prevent, with certainty, the sleeve from idly carrying up and down a film of oil without feeding it into the duct of the stem or post. And further, I so construct these parts that the relative action between the stem and sleeve involves a pumping effect tending to force oilentrained between the surfaces to the top of the sleeve. And further, I so construct that the flmbreaking or disrupting action above referred to is 'supplemented by a similar action at a lower point on the stem or post. And 'fun ther I provide for particularly efficient and lightly-responsive vibratory action of the sleeve.

In the specific construction shown portions of the confronting surfaces of the post and sleeve are relatively tapered, the sleeve 21 being shown as having a bore 25 uniformly tapered, although but very gradually, from bottom to top, its top being barely larger than the top diameter of the post to work as close to the latter asis feasible without binding. At a lower point, as by a shoulder 26 on the stem, the sleeve is guided to maintain approximately its coaxial relation with the stem, and it will be apparent that in its vertical reciprocation the inertia forces which act to drive the sleeve down are resolved into two components one of which is normal to the surface of the tapered hole or bore and tends to result in the sharp edge 16 of the post or stem cutting through the film of oil between the sleeve and post.

Thus it is insured that oil upon the upper portion of the surface of the sleeve Will be scraped 01T, to flow through the outlet duct of the stem.

Further, the post coacting vvithithe taperbored sleeve is preferably formed in tvvo cylindrical reaches or steps with the shoulder 26 intervening, this shoulder being preferably well toward the bottom of the stem so that there is left a long gradually tapering oil space 29 above the shoulder 26 and around the upper cylinder portion 27. In addition to its guidance function above referred to the shoulder 26 forms a cut-off edge that tends to break the oil film for reasons above explained and the oil space 29, variward toward the top of the post 14.

vRemembering that the effected dimensions are all rather minute, and that, as indicated in my prior patent, capillation alone, supplemented' with the mechanical vibration of the sleeve, suffices for a substantial and in many instances sufficient feed, it Will be apparent that the certitude of oil film breaking, offredistribution of the oil along the surfaces and of sensitiveness that results l from the diminution of the areas of close contiguity of the postand sleeve surfaces are factors that coperate to improve the functioning of the device.

While I have herein described in some detail a particular embodiment of my invention for-purposes of full disclosure of a practical and operative device7 it Will be apparent to those skilled in the lart that changes inl detail may be made within the teachings of my invention and Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an oil cup comprising a receptacle, a hollow post upright therein and a sleeve slidablyrmounted on said post'to rise and fall under the effect of vibration, a coperative construction -of the sleeve and post that regulates their confronting surfaces adjacent the top of the post at an oblique angle.-

2. In an oil cup of the character described, generally-coaxial post and sleeve members, the latter normally extending above thetop of the former, the inner surface of the upper portion of the sleevel being disposed. at an oblique angle to the outer surface ofthe upper portion of the post.

3. In an oil cup of the character described, a post having a cylindrical top portion and an oil feeding sleeve surrounding the post and normally extending above the top there of, said sleeve having an upwardly tapering bore.

4. In an oil cup cf the character described, the combination of a post having external `cylinder formed zones of different diameters and an internally tapering sleeve.- y y 5. In anoil cup of the character described, a post having a relatively short bottom portion, a shoulder 26, a relatively ,long cylindrical upper portion terminating in a sharp edge 16, andan enveloping sleeve having a tapered bore that normally extends below, the shoulder 26 and above the edge V16.

6. In an oil cup of the character described, a relatively stationary postmember and a relatively vibratable sleeve member, these shaped as to their confronting surfaces to present an oil space'y therebetween-'that is variable'in area as the sleeve is vibrated relatively to the post.' CLAUDEv E. COX. 

